Why the global arms trade is booming
Global instability and a push from exporters have smaller countries stocking up
![](https://www.economist.com/cdn-cgi/image/width=1424,quality=80,format=auto/sites/default/files/20170311_BLP512.jpg)
By M.F.
LAST month the emirate of Abu Dhabi held the International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX), the Middle East's largest arms fair. The four-day event was a roaring success, playing host to 1,235 exhibitors and a record number of delegates. On the last day, the United Arab Emirates announced $5.2bn worth of weapons purchases from suppliers including France, Russia and America. The Gulf state’s hunger for big guns is hardly exceptional. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), a think-tank, recently released data showing that transfers of big weapons in 2012-16 reached their highest volume for any five-year period since the end of the cold war. At a time when international trade is flagging, why is the global arms trade doing so well?
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